Himawari House by Becker, Harmony

Winner of the 2023 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Fiction Literature
Winner of the 2022 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature
A 2021 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
A 2021 School Library Best Books of the Year

A young adult graphic novel about three foreign exchange students and the pleasures, and difficulties, of adjusting to living in Japan.

Living in a new country is no walk in the park--Nao, Hyejung, and Tina can all attest to that. The three of them became fast friends through living together in the Himawari House in Tokyo and attending the same Japanese cram school. Nao came to Japan to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, while Hyejung and Tina came to find freedom and their own paths. Though each of them has her own motivations and challenges, they all deal with language barriers, being a fish out of water, self discovery, love, and family.

Author: Harmony Becker
Publisher: First Second
Published: 11/09/2021
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 8.43h x 5.98w x 1.18d
ISBN: 9781250235572
Age Range: 14-18

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 2.8
Point Value: 2
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 516958 / Himawari House

Award: Kirkus Prize - Winner
Award: Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Winner

Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 09/01/2021 pg. 108
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 10/01/2021 - Book Of Special Distinction
Booklist 09/15/2021 pg. 40
Publishers Weekly 10/11/2021
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2022 pg. 107
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2022 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Harmony Becker was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is the illustrator of George Takei's graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy. She currently lives in Mexico City.